Hotels in Puerto del Carmen cannot find housing for chambermaids and chefs and are turning to staff accommodation

Puerto del Carmen, the main resort in the municipality of Tías and in the whole south of Lanzarote, has for several seasons been dogged by a problem that is beginning to constrain its own hotels: the shortage of affordable housing for the staff who keep the industry running. Tourism sector sources say it is increasingly common for chambermaids, chefs and reception staff to turn down job offers in the area simply because they cannot find anywhere to live at a price their wages can cover.

Rents competing with holiday lets

According to property portals, much of the housing stock in Puerto del Carmen and nearby areas such as Los Mojones or Puerto Calero is now given over to holiday letting or second homes, leaving very little supply for long-term rental. The flats that are offered to residents have risen sharply in price in recent years, property sector sources add, pushed up by tourist demand itself.

Companies housing their own workforce

Faced with this situation, several hotels and apartment complexes in the area have chosen to set aside flats or units of their own to house some of their staff, especially during the busiest months. Tourism sector sources concede that this solution, originally conceived for workers brought in from outside the island, has in practice become the only way to retain staff in Puerto del Carmen.

A problem spreading across the south of the island

The phenomenon is not confined to Tías: union sources in the hospitality sector note that the same dynamic is playing out in Playa Blanca and, to a lesser extent, in Costa Teguise, and warn that the lack of housing for tourism workers could end up affecting service quality in Lanzarote's main industry unless it is tackled with specific measures on affordable, employment-linked housing.